Items required for space flight, such as clothes, food, equipment and tools, have previously been stored within special purpose stowage apparatus such as lockers or racks. FIG. 1, for example, illustrates a stowage locker 10 having a number of stowage compartments 12 that is specifically configured for flight aboard a pressurized module located within the cargo bay of an STS Orbiter. The stowage locker 10 includes a fixed structure that defines the stowage compartments 12, such that when the stowage compartments 12 are emptied, the stowage locker 10 still occupies a fixed volume of useless space within the space vehicle. Still further, the structure of the stowage locker 10 with the fixed stowage compartments 12 constitutes a significant amount of dead weight, as solid panels are used in the construction of the stowage locker 10.
In order to overcome the problems associated with the stowage locker 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, another approach to stowing items for space travel incorporates the use of cargo bags that are strapped to a stowage rack. FIG. 2, for example, illustrates a special purpose stowage rack 14 under development on which a number of cargo stowage bags 16 are strapped. The structure of the stowage rack 14 is substantially reduced from that of the stowage locker 10, as fixed stowage compartments are not utilized and the weight of the structure is therefore reduced. Further, once the cargo bags 16 are removed from the stowage rack 14, the space previously occupied by the cargo bags 16 becomes available for use.
Still further, it has been proposed that existing special purpose science racks (not shown) utilized to hold experiment packages within pressurized modules located in the cargo bay of the STS Orbiter be modified to carry the cargo bags 16 illustrated in FIG. 2. The science racks, however, are constructed to fit in a particular module unit and cannot be readily reconfigured for use on different types of vehicles or modules. Accordingly, as with the other types of lockers and racks discussed above, it would be necessary to manufacture different types of racks for different types of applications.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a stowage apparatus that holds a large volume of items, is relatively light weight, and may be readily reconfigured for flight on a variety of space vehicles or modules. Still further, it would be desirable to provide a stowage apparatus that includes the ability to launch in one configuration and be reconfigured on orbit for return in a different configuration.